Mansions in the Sand
by pyrrho
Summary: Sometimes, it takes a while to see what's right under your nose. Spike/Winnie, potential spoilers for Slow Burn.
1. Chapter 1

Hey all! So, this all started with me just scribbling some stuff down, and I had no intention of ever letting anyone see it. But then I thought, there's really not much Spike/Winnie on the site, and it's a great pairing, in my opinion, so why not just touch the stuff I'd written up and see if people wanted to read more? So, let me know if you want to read more!

_All love that has not friendship for its base is like a mansion built upon the sand._

-Ella Wheeler Wilcox

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><p>It all started with a cup of coffee.<p>

Or, more specifically, a spilled cup of coffee.

Or, even more specifically than that, a spilled cup of coffee that was now splattered all over a white shirt. Winnie's white shirt.

"Spike!" She exclaimed loudly, trying in vain to prevent the brown stain from spreading across her entire torso. "That was my only cup of coffee!"

Spike, who had bounced back from the impact of the crash, had recovered himself and was fluttering nervously, wanting to help but not quite willing to go near the danger zone of Winnie's chest. "I'm so sorry, Winnie, I just wasn't looking where I was going, and I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"

"It's ok, Spike." Winnie looked down at her ruined blouse and sighed. "Ugh. Can you go get me some paper towels from the bathroom, please?"

"Okay, bathroom, right away, going now, bathroom-" He turned away and bolted toward said bathroom, almost tripping over himself in his haste. Winnie watched him go, rolling her eyes, and then knelt down to gather up the cup and the napkins that had gone down with it. Napkins that were also soaked through. She sighed again, but before she knew it, Spike was kneeling beside her, using a generous wad of paper towels to soak up some of the sludge on the ground. When she looked up, he held out another wad, just as big as the first.

"Paper towels." He said. "For your… uh…" He gestured to his chest area. "Your shirt." Pause. "I'm really sorry, Winnie, I should have been paying more attention, then none of this would have happened..."

Winnie waved him off as she stood up, attempting to pat her shirt dry. It wasn't working. "Don't worry about it, Spike. I'm just going to go change. Can you take care of this?"

Spike nodded feverishly. "Of course. You go change, I'll clean up. That's good. I can do that." He kept rambling, and Winnie left him to it, turning towards her desk and approaching slowly, keeping the contact between her shirt and her midriff to a minimum. As she got closer, Sid looked up from the dispatcher's seat and grinned in amusement.

"I knew you liked coffee, Winnie, but I had no idea that it extended to a fashion choice." He looked her up and down. "It's a good look for you."

"Yeah, very funny, Sid." But her smile grew little wider. "Can you wait just five more minutes while I clean up? I'll cover for you later." Sid was already nodding and handing over her bag.

"No problem, Win. See you in five."

Winnie took the bag and headed past Spike toward the bathroom. As she walked by, he looked up from his mopping and smiled hesitantly. When she returned the favor, he visibly relaxed. _Sorry_, he mouthed again before she disappeared from sight.

Once in the relative safety of the women's room, she peeled off the dripping shirt and pulled her uniform button-up out of the bag. At least this one was black; she mused, and wouldn't stain as much if there happened to be another spill. She finished tugging it on and briefly submerged the original shirt in water to see if it was salvageable. When she realized it wasn't, she threw it in a trashcan and went back out to relieve Sid.

When she got to the desk, however, Sid wasn't the only one there. "Winnie, I really am sorry." Spike said sincerely. "It was stupid of me, I should have looked where I was going-"

"Spike." Winnie interrupted, and Spike immediately stopped talking. "It's not a big deal at all. It was a mistake; no use crying over spilled milk. Or coffee, in this case. It's okay. Sid, thanks."

Sid smiled as he vacated his seat. "Anything for the lady, Winnie. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure thing." She sat down. "Really, Spike, it's fine."

"I don't know…." Spike trailed off. "I should have…" He furrowed his brow. "Actually, just out of curiosity, why did you bring up the coffee?"

Winnie looked at him like he was crazy. "Well, Spike, you had just spilled it down my front."

Spike blushed. "I know, but you said that that 'was your only cup of coffee', not 'oh my god you ruined my shirt.' There's a distinct difference, and I was wondering."

"It _was_ my only cup of coffee, and I need coffee. Now I can't get it until the end of my shift, and that's…" She checked her watch. "Seven and a half hours away. Coffee is good. No coffee is bad. Hence, bad."

"I'm sorry, Winnie…"

"It's okay. I'll try to get some on my break. There's only… four hours left." Winnie groaned as she said. "I'm going to die, Spike."

"Because you didn't have any coffee?" Spike asked uncertainly.

"Yes, because I didn't have any coffee!" She snapped. Spike took a startled step back.

"I'm just going to, uh…" He shuffled away from her. "SRU stuff, you know? Duty calls." He gave one last nervous smile before he disappeared beyond the door.

Winnie sighed. Not only did she not have any coffee, she had alienated at least one member of team one. _Oh well,_ she thought. _I'll just have to apologize later_.

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><p>It turned out she didn't have to. An hour and a half later, she was busy jotting down some notes in the log in front of her when she got the feeling someone was watching her. She looked up, only to see Spike walking toward the desk, focused on something in his hand. She frowned, looking at the clock.<p>

"Spike, what are you doing here?" She asked, confused. "Your shift ended an hour ago, and I saw you leave."

Spike looked up and gave her one of his signature dimpled smiles. "I had to go get something." He made it to the desk and plopped a tray down in front of him. It had three Starbucks cups inside. "That one's just regular coffee," he said, starting at the far right. "That one's a cappuccino, and that one's a caramel macchiato. I wasn't sure which one you'd like." He explained. "Oh, and I also got milk and sugar, too. If you want them, of course." As he pulled said items out of his bag, Winnie wondered how in the world he had gotten out of Starbucks with one of their huge thermoses of milk, but decided not to question it.

Spike was looking at her apologetically. "Sorry it took so long; there's not really a Starbucks near here." When she didn't respond, he pushed the tray a little closer to her. "If you don't like any of these, I can go back…" He said apprehensively.

"What? No, no, Spike, this is perfect! It's… sweet."

Spike blushed again. "Well, I spilled your coffee and ruined your blouse thing- it was the least I could do."

"Still, it's very nice of you." Winnie looked at the tray. "I can't drink three of them, though. As much as I want to."

"I'll have one of them too, and you can pawn the last one off for favors. So, what do you want?" As she picked up the regular coffee, he smiled.

"I had a feeling you'd choose that one."

"You did? Why?" Winnie glanced at him as she pulled the cup closer to her.

Spike shrugged. "Well, you know, you're kind of right down to it, aren't you?" At Winnie's puzzled look, he clarified. "You don't mess around with all the frills. It's just… you. I bet you don't do all the girlie stuff, am I right? Like, the gossiping with the posse, the spending hours and hours getting ready for a normal workday, that sort of thing. That's the way I see it, at least. See you." His ears turned red. "Not that I see you, I mean, watch you all the time or anything, I'm not a stalker, I just-"

Winnie laughed, a genuine, ringing laugh. "You're not a stalker, Spike. You just notice things, that's all. Here, come have a seat." As he moved around the desk to join her, she continued. "You're right about me, by the way. Never had the patience for the giggling gaggle. I'd much rather curl up and read a good book at home than go get my nails polished."

"Me too." Spike said with a grin. "It just chips off way too quickly, and this one time I used red and it was a _total_ disaster. Last time I go with a bright color, I said to myself- hey! Ouch! No need for violence, Winnie!" He rubbed his arm where she had punched him. "It's not becoming in a lady-" He narrowly avoided another blow to the head, and raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, you win. You're not a lady, of course, you're just a heartless guttersnipe-"

This time he had to leap out of his chair to escape certain death, and barely made it to the other side of the desk. For a minute, Winnie looked like she might jump over the offending barrier, but then composed herself and sat back down calmly. After taking a deep breath, she batted her eyelids at Spike. "Oh, Freddy, _you_ don't think I'm a heartless guttersnipe, do you?"

Spike paused, and then let out a delighted laugh. "You recognized it! Oh. Winnie, you're the greatest!"

"_I'm_ not the greatest. Alan Jay Lerner is the greatest. And My Fair Lady? I can quote almost every line. I've watched it a hundred times, and have the soundtrack and everything." She grinned at him. "It's my jam."

Spike laughed again as he came back and dropped into his seat. "Your jam? I can see that. One of the greatest love stories of all time, by the way. My Fair Lady. Don't you think?"

"Of course it is. Higgins and Eliza are perfect for each other, even if they don't realize it." She paused. "So what do you think are the other ones? The other greatest love stories? My Fair Lady, and what else?"

"Well, a lot of them are from Shakespeare- Romeo and Juliet, Beatrice and Benedick, Katharina and Petruchio- And I think Casablanca belongs right up there with them." He looked around furtively. "This next one never gets out to anyone, okay? No one. Especially not the team. Got it?"

Winnie nodded, and Spike smiled guiltily. "Pride and Prejudice. They just belong with each other, right? It's so beautiful."

"Oh, Spike, you're such a romantic! This is priceless!" Winnie was laughing, and Spike frowned.

"What, you don't think so?"

"No, no, it's my favorite! It's just that you- you're a guy- and-" She just started laughing harder.

"And what, guys can't appreciate good literature? Besides, there's nothing wrong with being a romantic." He huffed. "Pride and Prejudice is a classic."

Winnie straightened up, still trying to contain her giggles. "I know. It is, but still, you've got to admit it's not typical for someone like you to appreciate the romances. But I've got to say, it's refreshing. At least you're admitting to it. Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." She leaned back in her seat. "It is funny, though."

Spike smiled a bit. "I guess it's a little funny. But it _is_ really good. And the movie's great too."

"Yeah, you bet." Winnie looked down thoughtfully. "Matthew MacFayden's hot."

Spike wrinkled his nose. "Aaand, you ruined it. Good going, Winnie." He settled back in his chair. "But have you ever read Anna Karenina? What? You haven't? Oh man, it's a great read. It starts off with this girl…"

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><p>They kept chatting for another hour before Spike had to leave.<p>

"I'm sorry I have to cut this short." He said. "I promised my neighbor I'd help him paint his apartment, and he's probably expecting me pretty soon. I'm really sorry." Actually, his neighbor was probably expecting him about an hour ago, but he didn't mention that.

"Spike, you don't have to say you're sorry. You apologize way too much, you know that?"

Spike smiled. "Yeah, that's what Sarge tells me- like, everyday. I'm working on it."

"All right, Spike, whatever. Now go, your neighbor's waiting. Thanks for the coffee!" She called as he made his way over to the door.

He stopped at the threshold and waved. "Thanks for the conversation!" He waved again before swinging cheerfully out the door. Winnie watched him go with a smile. Once you sat down and talked with him, he was a pretty cool guy, wasn't he?

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><p>Again, let me know your thoughts on it, and what works, doesn't work, etc. It's always a help to know what I can do to improve.<p>

Review review!


	2. Chapter 2

Another one's up! This chapter starts to get into their lives a little bit, so I'm trying something new here, especially with Winnie, because we don't know much about her from the show. Let me know if you think anything's wildly off base (or even off base at all, really)! Enjoy!

_All love that has not friendship for its base is like a mansion built upon the sand._

-Ella Wheeler Wilcox

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><p>When Winnie got home that evening, Alex's car was already in her driveway. She pulled in behind it, and slowly grabbed her bag as she got out of her car and made her way up the stairs to the front door. After she had stepped through and dropped the bag beside the mat, she turned around.<p>

"Alex?" She called. "You home?"

She heard some clattering in the kitchen. "Yeah, sweetheart! Just making us some dinner- come on in here!" Winnie smiled, walking into the kitchen, and Alex spun around to meet her. "It's good to see you, Win. Come here!"

"No, Alex, stop, you have flour all over you! No, no, stop-" She was cut off as he enveloped her in a big hug, and giggled as he leaned down to press his lips against hers.

"It really is good to see you, honey." He murmured against her mouth. Winnie pulled away slightly, smiling.

"It's only been a week. And how bad can New York be?"

"Anywhere's bad without you, Win." He backed up a step and wiped some flour off her cheek. "I'm making some dough for pizza. Sound good?"

"You bet." She went and set her keys on the table. "How was the trip?"

"The usual. Meetings, talking, more talking, more meetings." He grinned at her. "Horrifically boring."

Winnie rolled her eyes. "Oh my, the wild world of economics. You're such a crybaby. I bet you had a great time, and you just want a sympathy kiss."

He turned away from the dough and pulled out his puppy dog eyes. "Do I get one?" Winnie gently hit him in the shoulder, but allowed him to pull her in again, and laced her arms around his neck.

She eventually broke away and brought her head down to bury it in his chest. "I'd like to eat before eleven tonight, if at all possible." She mumbled. Alex rocked her a little before stepping back and kissing her forehead, and then heading back to the dough.

"Yes ma'am. Why don't you go take a shower while I finish up here- you have _tons_ of flour in your hair." He teased, and as she harrumphed and headed toward the bathroom, he watched her go fondly.

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><p>An hour later, they were eating at the kitchen table, him ribbing her mercilessly about the smallest thing, and Winnie giving as good as she got. Finally, he leaned back at smiled at her.<p>

"How was your day? Another exciting adventure in the police world?"

"Always. You know me- jumping tall buildings and crossing deep seas to apprehend the latest wrong-doer."

Alex reached across the table to pat her hand in an exaggeratedly condescending gesture. "That's my girl. Superhero 2.0. But it was a good day?"

"Yeah, actually. I had a really fun conversation with one of the guys- it was nice to get to know him some. It's amazing how you can see someone every day and know so little about him or her. So all in all, yes, good day."

"It's good to see you're making new friends- should I be jealous?" He grinned.

Winnie laughed. "No, sweetheart, it was just a friendly conversation. You'd probably like him, actually."

"You always did have good taste in men, Winnie." He preened. "Now, are you done? I'll clean up, and then we can watch some TV."

"Sounds good. Hold on a minute- you've got some tomato sauce on your lip." She leaned down to wipe it away, and when she straightened up, he grinned again.

"Go. TV. Now. I'll be there in a minute. Oh, and Winnie?" He called as she walked off. "If we watch Pride and Prejudice one more time I think I'm going to have to jump out a window."

In the end, they wound up watching a few reruns of Seinfeld before calling it an early night. And as Alex pulled the covers up around them and settled in behind her, he wrapped an arm gently around her waist and buried his head in her hair.

"I always sleep better when you're around." He murmured. Winnie turned slightly to smile at him.

"Me too, Alex." She said softly. "Now go to sleep."

And he did, and she did too, with a smile on her face.

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><p>Spike barely made it to the bathroom before emptying the contents of his stomach into the toilet. Collapsing against the wall, he tried to ignore the fragments of his dream that still danced behind his eyes, and when that failed, let his head fall back to rest on the cool tile as he tried to gain some sense of normalcy. It didn't come for a long time.<p>

Eventually, he pulled himself upright and washed his mouth out at the sink. As he did so, he glanced at the mirror and saw pretty much exactly what he expected to see- his hair was plastered to his head with sweat, his face was pale as death, and his hands were shaking violently.

He turned the tap off and made his way back to his bedroom. He knew from experience that the shaking would stop in the next half hour or so, and a shower would take care of most everything else. He just hoped that he would get some color back in his face before he got to work, because otherwise, Greg would definitely be asking a lot of questions.

Checking the clock on the wall, Spike sighed in some relief. At least he had gotten a good six hours of sleep in this time, and it was almost to the point where he could plausibly leave for work and not raise any suspicions for being there too early. He grabbed a towel from a cupboard and headed back to the bathroom to take a quick shower. When he was done with that, he grabbed an energy bar from the kitchen and picked up his bag on his way out.

But as turned toward the door, his eyes caught on one of the bookshelves lining the walls. Hadn't he and Winnie been talking about…?

He managed a small smile as he reached out and pulled a tome off the shelves. Now that he thought about it, it was perfect. Slipping the book into his bag, he slowly made his way down to his car, thinking. Maybe he could stop by a Starbucks on his way in as well. He felt his mood lightening as he continued to think about it. Perhaps today wouldn't be such a horrible day after all.

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><p>That morning, Winnie was very nearly late to work. Winnie was never late to work. But this morning, everything seemed to conspire against her; She had overslept with Alex, her car didn't start, there was a traffic jam on the freeway, and then she seemed to miss every single light on her last mile in. So by the time she finally pulled into the parking lot, she was out the driver's seat in an instant, flying up the stairs and taking a minute to straighten herself out before speed walking in toward the dispatch desk, pulling her bag off her shoulder as she went. Sid immediately got up to go once he saw her, and Winnie vaguely remembered him saying something about meeting his mother. She felt even worse then she had.<p>

So as she passed by him with an apologetic smile and settled into the chair, she was so flustered that she almost missed the two new additions to her workspace.

First, propped up on its side on the top of the smooth glass of the desk, was a rather large book. She picked it up, turning it over in her hands, and a slow smile spread across her face. Anna Karenina. She looked around for Spike, but there was no one in sight, so she slowly ran her hand over the spine for a second before turning her attention to the second item. It was a cup of coffee, still steaming, and when she lifted the lid and took a sip, she realized that it was exactly the way she had taken it the day before. Her smile grew even wider, and she set it down to fasten the lid back on. Before she finished, though, she noticed something odd about the cup. Moving her hand out of the way, she uncovered what looked to be writing.

_I hope you like the book_, it said. _Have fun reading it- I know I did. _Under the message, he had drawn a large smiley face and underlined it several times. She set it aside gently, making sure not to disturb it as she tucked the book away out of sight. The smile didn't leave her face for a long time.

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><p>When Spike finally made it over to her desk, it was at the end of his shift, and half an hour from the end of hers. He looked terrible, with haggard circles under his eyes and slight tremors in his hands. Winnie didn't ask any questions, though, because she had been listening to the whole thing and it was always tough when they couldn't talk a jumper down. So she patted the desk next to her, and he took the hint and pulled up a chair.<p>

"I loved the book and the coffee, Spike. Thanks so much; it's really above and beyond." Spike looked incredibly grateful she didn't bring up his appearance or the call, and settled in beside her.

"It's my pleasure, Winnie." He croaked, and then cleared his throat. "Plus, Anna Karenina is a must-read for anyone, and I had a copy at home, so why not lend it out, right? Tolstoy's great."

"Yeah, he is. Have you read-"

"War and Peace?" He anticipated. "Nah. To be honest, it's a little intimidating for me. There's long, and then there's _long_. Why, have you read it?"

Winnie blushed. "Actually, yeah, I have." At Spike's incredulous expression, she went on. "It actually started as a bet with my friend, but then I kind of got into it. It's a good book, if you get past the length."

"Ugh." Spike said. "Just don't lend me that one, okay, Winnie? There's only so much I can take." He smiled, and he didn't look good, but he didn't look as… not-good as he had before. "I guess you're just a little more adventurous than I am."

"I wouldn't say that, Spike. And by the way, did you really get my coffee order just by watching me yesterday? It didn't even seem like you were paying attention."

He puffed up a little bit. "Like you said, I notice things. Even coffee. Although I don't see how you can take it without sugar, to be honest. Nope, I need the extra pick-me-up. Sugar all the way for me."

"The coffee's pick-me-up enough, in my opinion. But I'll remember the sugar thing for you next time. I owe you a coffee now." She gestured to the cup beside her. It was long since empty, but she had kept it for the decorations. She didn't care if it was a bit sentimental.

Spike waved it off. "Nonsense. I wanted to get it for you. You're stuck behind the desk all day anyways; so this way you had something to sip on to take the edge off the boredom. Right?" When Winnie looked like she might protest, he continued hurriedly. "Consider it payment for the conversation. It's nice to hang out with someone that can read. God knows the rest of the team can't. Well, maybe Sarge, but the others are hopeless."

At Winnie's glance, he nodded earnestly. "It's true, Winnie, you don't understand- Sam told me last week that the last real book he read was the first Harry Potter, and that he read it like five years ago. Five _years_, Winnie. How can a person go that long without mental stimulation? I would just… I would just die."

"At least it was Harry Potter though, right? Imagine if it was something like Twilight."

"Oh my god." Spike shuddered. He looked slightly green around the edges. "That's not even mental death, that's mental suicide."

Winnie was a little pale too. "I know." They shared a commiserating moment of silence in honor of such lost souls before she spoke again. "See? It's not all bad. Harry Potter is a good way to go."

"I suppose… But gosh, Winnie, isn't it pathetic? All of the team-"

"Minus Sarge-"

Spike nodded. "Minus the boss- I pity them for their illiteracy." He sniffed superiorly.

Winnie laughed. "Whatever, Spike. Just don't let them hear you say that."

"Say what?" Greg had come up to the desk silently, and Spike quite literally fell out of his chair.

"Uh, nothing, boss. We were, um, just talking about how you can read, that's all." He was grasping at straws as he scrambled back up to his seat, and they all knew it.

"And let me guess, the rest of the team can't?" Spike didn't say anything, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water, and Winnie turned her head slightly to hide her smile. Greg looked sternly at his tech for a few more seconds, and then took pity on him. "Don't worry, I know them as well as you do. Much rather a movie than a book, right?"

Spike looked relieved. "Yeah, boss, exactly. You're right, I mean, of course you're right, you're the boss, anything you say has to be right, because you're-"

"Spike." Greg had an amused expression on his face, and Spike stopped to look at him. "You want to come here for a minute, bud?" Spike nodded apprehensively, and Greg turned to Winnie. "We'll just be a little bit."

Winnie nodded, and Greg took the younger man across the room and out of earshot before turning him around and beginning to speak in a low voice. Winnie couldn't hear anything, but she could see Spike look down at the floor and shake his head at something Greg said, obviously upset. The latter paused, and then put a hand on his shoulder and continued to talk until Spike's head slowly rose again. After a couple minutes, Spike let out a hesitant smile, and Greg ruffled his hair and turned them back around to face Winnie. Once they got back to the desk, Spike resumed his seat, and Greg smiled at the pair of them.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay? Have a good day, rest up, eat well, and all the other things I should probably be saying." He picked up his bag. "Bye, Winnie. Spike, just keep on ticking."

A bye, boss, and a good afternoon, Sarge, came out in an incomprehensible jumble, and Greg just shook his head before walking out of the room.

Winnie looked to Spike in a silent question, and he decided to humor her. "I didn't sleep so well last night, and Sarge picks up on a lot. Actually, though, the conversation wasn't as bad as I expected it to be."

Winnie smiled. "Greg's a pretty understanding guy, it seems to me."

"Yeah, he is." There was a pause in their conversation, and they felt no need to continue for a long time. Finally, Spike spoke up. "So, you seem happy today. What's up?"

"Well, someone got me a nice book and a cup of coffee, so that helped." She grinned and patted his hand as his ears turned slightly pink. "Also, my boyfriend got home last night. I haven't seen him in a week, so it's good to spend some time with him."

"Oooh, boyfriend!" Spike teased. A little bit of color was returning to his face. "What's his name? How long have you been together? What's he like? Come on, Winnie, details!"

"Oh my god, you're such a girl." She rolled her eyes as Spike shifted closer. "His name's Alex, and we've been together about a year. As for what he's like… well, he's great. He's there when I need him, and he gives me space when I don't. He makes me dinner, and we have fun, and…" She trailed off. "It's a good relationship. Plus, he's really attractive to boot."

"Okay, Winnie, I'm not that much of a girl. You don't need to bring up the aesthetic virtues of men every time we talk." Spike said with a fake grimace. Then he sobered up. "I'm really glad for you." He said sincerely. "That he makes you happy. That's the most important part of a relationship."

Winnie looked over at him from her seat. "I know. And he really does make me happy." Suddenly, the next dispatcher appeared at the desk. "Oh, hey, Ryan. Is it time already?" She checked her watch and saw that it was. "Wow. That went fast."

Spike stood up and grabbed her bag from under the desk, hoisting his own as well. "You all ready to go, Winnie? Come on, I'll walk you down to your car. No, I can carry it. Just come on, will you?"

Winnie gave up in her attempts to attain the bag, and dutifully followed Spike out the door, waving to Ryan at the last second. As they walked out, there was a comfortable silence, and it lasted all the way to the parking garage. When they got to Winnie's car, an old off-white Volkswagen, Spike set her bag into the back seat and waited until she settled down behind the wheel.

"Winnie?" He asked, leaning against the doorframe. "It was really nice talking to you again. And don't worry about getting coffee on your way in tomorrow- I'll take care of it." He closed the door with a soft click before she had time to protest. _See you tomorrow_, he mouthed through the glass, and then he was gone, heading back to his own car. Winnie could only watch him disappear. It looked like she would have another cup of coffee waiting for her tomorrow.

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><p>As I said above, a little more home info here. Also, this story started a little bit off the cuff for me, so I haven't written too many chapters in advance; if updates seem a little slow, blame that. Hopefully I'll build up a bit of a reserve as time goes on and I can post more quickly :) Again, reviews mean a lot to me, so please, let me know what you're thinking! As always, constructive criticism is more than welcome.<p>

Review review!


	3. Chapter 3

There's not too much I have to say about this one... Winnie and Spike are starting to get to know each other. On a personal note, I'm going out of town for a couple weeks, so updates will most likely be pretty sporadic. Sorry :(

Anyways, enjoy!

_All love that has not friendship for its base is like a mansion built upon the sand._

-Ella Wheeler Wilcox

* * *

><p>Spike did, in fact, take care of coffee the next morning. Seconds after Winnie had settled in behind the dispatcher's desk, he came ambling through the main doors, holding two Starbucks cups and heading straight for her.<p>

"Winnie!" He cried happily. "How's my favorite dispatch girl doing?"

She smiled even through her sigh. "Your only dispatch girl is doing fine, Spike. How's my favorite intrepid bomb tech from Team One doing?"

Spike turned to Raf, who had walked in right behind him. "Hear that, Raf? Winnie called me intrepid. That means dauntless. Fearless. I'm _intrepid_." Raf just grumbled as he walked by, not even acknowledging Spike's enthusiasm. Spike turned back to Winnie. "He's just mad because I didn't get him coffee." He confided. "Raf!" Winnie jumped at the change in volume. "Maybe if you called me intrepid, I'd get you coffee, too!" Raf just made a rude hand gesture as he disappeared into the locker room. Spike sighed dramatically. "See? No respect from the masses."

"I'd hardly call Raf 'the masses', Spike. But seriously, doing good?" Spike was acting cheerful, but the circles under his eyes were still dark and heavy, if not as pronounced as they had been the day before.

For a moment, his pretenses dropped and he smiled tiredly at her. "Better now that I'm here. But thanks for asking." He sat down on the edge of the desk, handing her her coffee as he schooled his features back into place. "How about you and Alex? Nice night in last night?"

"Yeah. I'm almost done with Anna Karenina. You were right- it is a good read."

"Isn't it?"

She responded with her thoughts on it, and they kept up an easy back-and-forth until it was time for Spike to head off to the gym. Before he went, he turned back to her. "Again tomorrow?" He asked with a smile.

Winnie nodded. "Again tomorrow. Thanks for the coffee, Spike."

"Of course, sure. And Winnie? Look a little closer."

And after he'd made it to the locker room, Winnie finally found what he'd been referring to. On the cup, he'd drawn her name in big dramatic letters, colored randomly and sparsely decorated. On the 'E' at the end, he'd inserted a surprisingly deft little sketch of a dragon, curling around the tines of the letter and breathing fire on the dot that topped the 'I'.

Winnie set it in a place of honor in the corner of her desk.

* * *

><p>It became a matter of course between the two of them. Winnie would walk in every day to a hot cup of coffee, and they were all personalized with a sharpie or a pen or whatever else Spike had lying around. She had tried to convince him to stop, insisting that she could pay for her own drinks, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. Once, Winnie had hidden a few bills in Spike's bag as he came to sit with her, and was quite smug about it until she found them back in her pocket when she was driving home. At that point, she just gave up.<p>

In addition to the coffee, he would come sit with her every day and chat about books or movies or just life until it was time for either one or the other to go. At first a few people thought they were involved, but those notions quickly burned out- there was no romance in their meetings, because Winnie was happy with Alex and Spike was happy that Winnie was happy. And it didn't stop them from having fun; sometimes they would break out into laughter so loud that Greg or Donna or someone else would come out and good-naturedly shush them. They quieted down a bit, but it didn't stop the giggling drifting over the open hallway.

* * *

><p>Occasionally, a hot call would come in when Spike was with her, and Winnie was immediately all business. Spike would roll quietly out of the way and watch her as she did her job.<p>

He didn't think he had ever seen anyone as efficient. There were probably ten things going on at once- getting criminal records of a subject, pulling up drivers' licenses, sending out bolos for cars, feeding information about victims to the lead negotiator, and running any other relevant searches. As she typed, she sorted all the incoming data, separating and dragging it onto one of the four monitors on the desk, keeping everything neatly organized as she went.

Once the call was over and she had ascertained the medical status and hospital info of any of the subjects or victims as needed, she slowly relaxed as she saved everything into the correct files.

Spike had seen her work, but never really _watched_ her work, and so after one of the calls he moved back to his place at her side and asked her about it.

"How is it you do what you do?"

Winnie looked at him in confusion. She was still coming down off the adrenaline high of the call, and was trying to adjust back to her 'normal' state of mind. "What do you mean, do what I do?"

Spike explained. "Well, I get the technical stuff, and how you're getting what information and why, but how do you _do_ it? It must be hard to keep yourself detached like that."

"I see what you mean." Winnie said slowly. "But… and I don't really know how to explain this, but I'm not detached. I'm feeling everything, but I don't allow it to affect me, if that makes sense. It won't do the subjects or the team any good if I'm sitting here shaking and crying, even if I sometimes want to. The only the way I can help is by doing my job, and by doing it well." She looked over at him. "I still feel them. The bad calls. And when they're over, and when I get home; that's when it really hits me. I can't escape the effects- just delay them."

Spike nodded seriously. "Okay. I get that." And Winnie could tell by his expression that he did. She had a feeling it was very similar for him. "And when you get home, does..."

She knew where he was going. "Yeah, most of the time Alex can help. He's really considerate about it, and it does make it easier. But for the really bad ones, there's only so much he can do." _Because there's only so much he can understand without living it_, were the unspoken words.

"You know you can always call me, right, Winnie?"

"Yeah, I know." She smiled gratefully. She remembered the circles under Spike's eyes that came and went, and the occasional slip of his metaphorical mask.

"And Spike?" He looked over. "It's a two-way street. Really. Anytime you want to talk." She reached over and put a hand on his, and he stared at it a long time before nodding slowly.

"Thanks." He said. Winnie could barely hear him, his voice was so quiet, and she just squeezed his hand lightly and went back to organizing.

* * *

><p>One day, about a month since that first cup of coffee, Winnie came into work huffing and puffing and looking like she was about to blow the house down. Spike raised his eyebrows as she marched over to the desk, and scooted back a little to avoid her wrath as she sat down heavily. She glared at him, and he swallowed. He had no idea what he had done wrong.<p>

"Happy unicorn?" He ventured nervously, placing her coffee within arm's reach. Sure enough, it had a little unicorn drawn on the front, prancing away and spearing clouds with its horn.

She glanced down at it, did a double take, and then couldn't suppress a laugh, though she still seemed upset.

It gave Spike courage. "Sooo…. Bad morning, huh?"

Winnie's glare returned, although it lacked the intensity it had before. "My car broke down on the way here. I had to call a cab. I. Hate. Cabs."

Spike had no idea her hatred ran so deep. "Um… me too?" He shut up quickly at the look she shot him.

She scowled for a bit longer before slowly losing steam. "Ugh. I'm sorry, Spike, I don't want to take it out on you. It's just that I really do hate cabs, and now I've got to take one home, too." She sighed. "Might as well throw myself into oncoming traffic. Life is no longer worth living."

"Winnie, I have a solution to all your problems." When she looked over disbelievingly, he puffed his chest up like a penguin. "I'm going to drive you home."

Her eyes narrowed. "What, you're not even going to ask?" Spike blinked, and then he abruptly changed species, transforming into a mouse in the face of certain death.

"Sorry?" He squeaked.

Winnie laughed. "I'm kidding, Spike. Actually, that would be really nice of you. Are you sure?"

Spike slowly sat up, wary of any other mood changes. When none were forthcoming, he nodded. "Yeah, of course. You don't mind waiting until my shift is over, do you?"

"It's only half an hour. And thanks, Spike."

He smiled and patted her on the back. "That's what friends do."

* * *

><p>That evening, his SUV pulled up in front of an attractive suburban house. It was white, with a well-kept garden in front of it, and if Spike had to guess, he would say the back yard was big and equally pretty. "This it?" He asked, looking at Winnie. She nodded, and Spike unbuckled his seatbelt. "Nice place you got here."<p>

"Yeah. It was my parents', but they moved away… and so now it's mine." She smiled. "It's as good a place as any other to hang my hat."

"I'll say. Walk you up to the door?"

The pair of them made their way up the front walk, and Winnie pointed to the car in the driveway. "Alex is home. I think you'll like each other- here, let me get my key." She put the key in the lock and pushed the door open. "Alex!" She called. "Spike's here with me!" Spike waited a half step behind her while someone thumped down the steps.

"Hey, Winnie!" Alex grinned as he came round the corner. He was a big man, with bleach blond hair and an easy smile, and it was immediately apparent why Winnie liked him. He gave his girlfriend a small kiss before looking over at Spike. "And you must be the man of the hour." He stuck his hand out. "Alex- nice to meet you."

Spike shook it warmly. "Spike, and likewise."

"Winnie's told me all about you. I hear you're the one responsible for the sudden increase in chick-flicks?"

Spike sputtered as his ears turned red. "They're not chick- I don't think- it's never- really, Winnie?" He finally managed, sending her a reproachful glare. Alex just laughed.

"Don't worry, man. I'm just messing with you. Hey, do you want to stay for dinner? I'm making what should be a few really good steaks. There's plenty of room for one extra- what do you say?"

Spike smiled. "Winnie's gushed over your cooking, but I don't want to intrude. It's probably been a long day for both of you, and I can whip something up when I get home."

But Alex just good-naturedly grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. "Come on. We'd love to have you. Right, Winnie?"

Winnie was grinning and nodding. "You drove me home, Spike, so now you have to stay for dinner. You're outnumbered- you have no choice."

"Well… if you're sure…" Spike said, glancing uncertainly between the two of them.

"Great!" Said Alex cheerfully. "I'll put on another one. How do you want yours? Rare? Medium? Well done?" He was already halfway out the room.

"Um… Medium rare?" Spike called after him.

"Okay!" He heard before the back door closed. The tech wasn't quite sure what had just happened.

Then Winnie was there and tugging off his coat as she herded him into the living room. "Come on, Spike. We can hang out until Alex is done. It should only be a few minutes…"

And just like that, Spike stayed for dinner.

* * *

><p>Let me know what you think! Any feedback whatsoever keeps me ridiculously motivated and happy, but constructive criticism is the most helpful! Thanks again, and as always,<p>

Review review!


	4. Chapter 4

So, first of all, sorry for the wait. I've been away from a computer for a long time, and I'm doing my best with the time I have... but I'll try to get the next one up faster :) Spike and Winnie are getting closer in this one!

_All love that has not friendship for its base is like a mansion built upon the sand._

-Ella Wheeler Wilcox

* * *

><p>It was three hours later that they finally wrapped up dinner. Spike had had a genuinely good time- the food was great, Alex was a funny and gracious host, and Winnie was… well, Winnie was Winnie. And so, when he was pulling his coat back on and slowly making his way to door, Alex didn't have to work very hard to secure his assent for a repeat of the night.<p>

"Thank you guys so much." Spike said when he got to the threshold. "I really did have a great time, and Alex, it was great to meet you. Winnie, again, thanks-"

She hushed him affably, and as he got to the door, grinned up at him. "Thanks for coming, Spike." She precluded any response he might have had when she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. It took Spike a moment to respond, but then he was gingerly placing his hands on her back and hugging her back.

Alex, who had been standing a few feet away, was delighted. "Bear hug!" He yelled before leaping forward and almost knocking the pair of them over. Then Winnie was giggling into Spike's chest as Alex's arms squeezed around them both, and Spike was just trying to keep his balance. He couldn't help the smile that made its way across his face.

When Alex finally released them, the tech raised his eyebrows. "You're certainly affectionate." He said.

"What can I say?" Alex shrugged. "Affectionate is my middle name. Right, Winnie?"

"Actually, his middle name's Henry." Winnie confided. "But it's best to let him have these small victories; it keeps him satisfied until-"

She was cut off as Alex grabbed her wrist and pulled her gently into the crook of his body. "All right, that's enough of the conspiring. Spike, awesome night. Can't wait for next time- thanks for coming."

Spike smiled as he zipped up his coat. "Thanks for having me. And next time I'll help out in the kitchen; I'm not Italian for nothing. Winnie, do you need me to give you a ride in tomorrow? Your car's not out of the shop, is it?"

"No, but Alex here will take care of me. Don't worry about it. See you tomorrow, Spike."

"Okay." He said happily. "See you tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Time passed by quickly, and three months since that first cup of coffee, Winnie was attempting to make it through what felt like the longest day of her life. Spike didn't show up until the near the end of her shift, and to Winnie, it had felt like a week. So when he finally came wandering up, she sighed in relief.<p>

"Spike, thank god you're here." Spike raised his eyebrows as he pulled his customary chair over to the desk, and Winnie collapsed in her seat, letting her forehead fall forward onto the smooth glass. "Longest. Shift. Ever."

"That bad, huh?" Winnie didn't even twitch, and Spike smiled and patted her on the back. "I know how those days feel." He commiserated. "Have you called Alex to alleviate the pain?" Her boyfriend and the tech sitting next to her had become fast friends, cooking together and arguing about sports and generally doing what friends did. It was cute, Winnie thought. But she focused on the here and now, and shook her head in response to Spike's question.

"He's been in meetings all day. Doesn't get out for another half hour."

"That's too bad." Spike said sympathetically. "But don't worry, now I'm here to save you from the evils of boredom. Skittle?"

She lifted her head and looked over, and Spike was pouring a handful of the colorful little pieces of candy out of the bag. "I got them out of the vending machine downstairs- hold on just a second." He began picking the red ones out of the pile. "The reds are my favorite." He explained. "You can have the rest, but I want red."

Winnie rolled her eyes. "I would never keep a child from his candy, Spike. Go for it."

"I am not a child!" Spike said, affronted. "I just like sugar, that's all. Everybody likes sugar. Even you like sugar, Winnie. Don't try to hide it."

"I don't mind sugar, Spike, but Skittles are just overkill. They're nothing _but_ sugar. So no thank you. No- no, Spike, don't even try it."

Spike had begun to wave the pile (minus the red) underneath her nose, attempting to sway her, but Winnie was steadfast in her refusal. Spike remained undaunted and kept bringing his hand closer to her face, making ridiculous little noises as he went.

"Choo choo! Come on, Winnie, open up for the train! See how wonderful they look? Oh- careful, Winnie, the train's getting closer- choo choo! Open up, widdle Winnie!"

Winnie looked over in disbelief. "Are you se-" But she couldn't finish, because Spike took the opportunity afforded by her open mouth and stuffed all the Skittles in at once.

She immediately started to choke on the hard candy, and as she doubled over coughing, Spike sat back in his seat smugly and popped a red one in his mouth. "Jeez, Winnie, you don't have to be so eager about it. All you had to do was ask, you know." He looked down at his pile. "You can't have these, but I can go back and get another pack if you want. See, I told you you'd like- Aargh! No, no, stop, please!"

* * *

><p>When Greg came out to investigate the odd noises five minutes later, he found the desk unattended and one of the chairs on its side, wheels still spinning weakly. As he frowned and moved closer to investigate, he was almost run over as Spike barreled around the corner, leaving a trail of red Skittles in his wake.<p>

"Boss!" The tech called, desperate. "You've got to help me! Winnie's gonna- eep!"

"Sarge!" Winnie had turned the corner too at this point, and Spike leapt behind Greg, attempting to create a barrier between him and death. "Hold him down for me, Sarge-" Winnie snarled. "I'm going to kill him slowly, one Skittle at a time, and then I'm going to laugh while he writhes in his dying throes."

"That's a little graphic, don't you think, Winnie?" Greg asked blandly. "I'm sure there are less violent options available."

"No, Sarge. Violent is good. Violent is very good. Spike, come here and face your fate like a man."

Spike remained firmly entrenched behind Greg's back. "No thank you, I'm very comfortable where I am. Anyways, manliness is overrated. Much better to stay alive. Right, boss?"

Greg nodded mildly. "Yes, I think staying alive is fairly important to one's health."

"See?" When no response was forthcoming, Spike peered out from around his boss' shoulder. "I was just trying to help, Winnie." At her incredulous look, he continued earnestly. "You said you'd had a really long day, and I was trying to lighten the mood. Honest. I really was."

"See? No need for drastic measures here." Greg said, gently pulling Spike out from behind his back. "I'm going to go now, but I'm sure you'll work it all out peacefully. Oh, and guys?" He turned around when he was at the door to address them. "Try to be a little quieter, okay? I think Donna might have a coronary."

As he disappeared, Spike and Winnie looked at each other for a long, tense moment, and it seemed like violence really would be next course of action. The stalemate lasted until Winnie caught Spike's eye. Then, out nowhere, she slowly started to laugh. After a moment of surprise, Spike couldn't help but follow suit.

Before long they were doubled over, tears in their eyes, and Winnie stumbled deliriously toward Spike to clamp a hand over his mouth. "Shh… we have to… be quiet…" She could barely get the words out, and Spike just started laughing harder. Winnie gave up and collapsed against him, shaking so much she couldn't stand straight.

It took them a long time, but eventually they made it back to the desk, staggering and lurching the whole way there. Holding onto the edge of the glass, they propped themselves up until they slowly quieted down. Once the shaking had subsided, Spike slumped down to the floor, the occasional giggle still escaping his lips. "My sides hurt." He managed weakly. "Ow."

"Well, it's your own fault, Spike." Winnie was standing above the tech, glaring at him and trying to hide her smile. Her sides hurt too, but she wasn't about to admit it. "If you hadn't shoved those Skittles in my mouth, none of this would have happened."

Without warning, Spike reached over and grabbed her hand, yanking her down next to him. Looking over, he smiled. "Yeah, but then you would still be tired and bored. At least this way we had fun." He slung an arm around her shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "And fun is… well… fun. Yeah. So we're good now, right?"

Winnie sighed. She could never stay mad at him for long. "Yeah, Spike. We're good." She shifted over a bit to rest her head against his shoulder, and Spike giggled one more time before pulling her closer. After a few minutes of silence, Winnie heard the door open and Sid's distinctive footsteps getting closer. She sighed again. "There's Sid. My shift's over, Spike. Come on, time to go."

She started to get up, but Spike just tugged on her shirt, stopping her movement. "We can wait a minute, Win. At least let me catch my breath." He grinned up at her. "Laughing is hard work, you know." Winnie rolled her eyes, but settled down again beside him.

"Okay, but just a minute, got it?" By this time, Sid had made it to the desk, and he was so used to them and their antics that he just sighed as he righted the upended chair and started moving things back into place.

After a more few seconds, Winnie glanced up at Spike. The tech had his eyes closed and his head leaned back against the desk behind him. She nudged him softly. "Spike…"

"Yeah, Win?" He didn't even look over.

"Would you mind driving me home again?"

Spike smiled, eyes still closed. "Of course. Whatever you need, Winnie, I'm there."

"Thanks, Spike." She adjusted her position on his shoulder. "You're a good friend, you know that?"

"Mm-hm." He nodded peacefully. They settled into a comfortable silence, broken only by the shuffling of Sid's feet behind them as the man got ready for his own shift.

Finally, Spike opened his eyes and slowly pushed himself up off the floor. As he turned around and pulled Winnie up after him, he smiled. "Alright, I'm ready to go." Winnie casually brushed a stray skittle out of his hair, and he bent down to pick up her bag. "It'll be really good to see Alex again, you know. He's so cool. There's a Flyers game on tonight; maybe we can watch it together. If you don't mind me staying, that is-"

Winnie laughed. "Of course you can stay, Spike. I'm going out with a friend, but Alex already asked if you could come over and watch it with him- he's really excited. I swear, though, I just don't get it. Of all teams, the _Flyers_…"

Spike just glanced over and grinned as they made their way down to the car. "O ye of little faith- I know they're going to pull through this time, you just wait…" He put her bag in the trunk, throwing his in after it. "And Winnie, we're going to party so hard with you gone, it'll be incredible. Yep, just me and Alex. The men. It'll just be the men tonight, Winnie. Be afraid."

Winnie just snorted as she climbed into the passenger seat. "Yeah, whatever, Spike. We'll see."

* * *

><p>I had a good time writing this, even if nothing much happened. Winnie is surprisingly fun to write! As I mentioned above, I'll try to get the next one up faster, but I'm still out of town, so I can't promise much :( As always, your reviews make me happy and keep me motivated to write faster! And also as always, let me know what I could be doing better. Thanks!<p>

Review review!


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